The Apple Fell Far from the Tree
by freakyanimegal
Summary: As the grandson of archvillain All-For-One, Izuku grew up with some rather sketchy 'family members'. He loved his grandfather, Tomura and Mr. Kurogiri, but they weren't without their...oddities. What was perhaps more odd, though, was that Izuku still wanted nothing more than to be a top hero like All-Might.
1. Chapter 1

He couldn't help but be in a good mood, how could he not be? There was a skip to his step as he headed home, unable to contain his excitement. UA! He was going to UA! All that work, everything All Might and his mom had done to help him, he was finally going to pursue the one thing he wanted more than anything. It was like a dream, he was still having a hard time believing it. The whole situation was just so surreal, maybe he could use a good relaxing night at home-

"CONGRATULATIONS, IZUKU!" The boy nearly fell over as soon as he entered his home, the small apartment now crammed with several guests, a banner, a table full of goodies and various balloons. His mother was beaming at him, holding out a cake, but if anything he was more surprised by the visitors.

"Grandpa-?! Tomura?! Mister Kurogiri?!"

"Nice to see you again too," the pale young man grumbled, scratching at the side of his neck. "Geez, we show up and put up with all this for you and that's how you say hi?"

"Now Tomura, don't be rude," Kurogiri stated calmly, then addressed Izuku. "Your mother informed us you got into your first-choice of school, we came to congratulate you. I heard you worked very hard, well done."

"O- oh!" Deku bowed politely. "Thanks Mister Kurogiri! Mom- everyone!"

"Well whatever," Tomura shrugged. "You're here so let's do this whole party thing already."

Izuku nodded in response, smiling despite the slight loss of color in his face. Grandpa hadn't said anything yet, but he was quieter these days. It had to be hard to talk, after all, with that life-support system, it looked so uncomfortable. He just sat there at the table, silent.

"Uhm- thank you for coming," Izuku said, approaching the man. "I know it's hard for you to travel around a lot since the accident. I-…I'm glad you're here."

There was a moment of silence, just a moment, but it felt like all sound had muted, like existence itself had been put into a dull haze, dragging out the seconds-

"You did well," came the voice, distorted and muffled by the machinery. "You had a goal and you did what was necessary to reach it, that is the only way anyone accomplishes anything."

A scarred, wrinkled hand lifted, ruffling the boy's green hair.

"Only the strong and willful achieve, I respect that, well done."

Izuku felt a swell of joy at the praise, grandpa was never very liberal with compliments. It wasn't that he never gave them or that he was unaffectionate, no, it was just...well, he wasn't sure, but he was going to enjoy this moment for what it was.

"Thank you so much!"

The boy flung himself at the crippled man in a hug, sobbing in his usual over-the-top manner.

"Izuku! Careful! Don't hurt him!" Inko cried, flailing her hands around in her panic.

"Now now, dear, it's quite all right," he chuckled. "He's just excited."

"But, Dad-"

"S- Sorry," Izuku pulled back, wiping his eyes. "I just- um- sorry."

"Nonsense, never apologize for doing what you must, now why don't you go enjoy the cake your mother made?"

The boy beamed, turning his attention to the table and the other guests. Tomura was sitting at the table, scratching at his arm, his other hand tapping the tabletop; he had a lot of nervous twitches like that, he wasn't very social much, either…but he had still come, right? He had to appreciate that he showed up despite his condition, it couldn't be easy.

"I haven't seen you in a while, Tomura," Izuku chirped, pulling up a chair by him. "How's your training going?"

"Same as usual," he replied gruffly, glancing at him. "Nothing very…interesting, lately. Unlike you, apparently you have a quirk now?"

The boy tensed just a second, then haphazardly jumped into the lie he had told his mother.

"Y- Yeah! Apparently I'm just a late bloomer! I know it's super unlikely but it's not unheard of, heheh, I was really surprised too, it's kinda surreal!"

"Right, well, anyway…nice to see you're happy, I guess."

Tomura had a lot of …'issues', but he always tried to be nice to him; he was much nicer to him than anyone at school, anyway. He had known the young man for a few years now, after Grandpa had taken him in and made him his apprentice. Mister Kurogiri had come and gone with his grandfather's visits for as long as he could remember, he was much better with people, but always very professional.

"I guess you can kick Bakugo's ass now, hey?" Tomura's face split into an eerie grin. "That piece of shit's had it coming for a while now, you should tell me when you do it so I can watch."

"Tomura…"

"Okay, okay, enough of that," Inko tsked, lightly slapping the pale man's arm, "Izuku! I know you're on a diet and all but I got your favorite ice cream! Just consider it a cheat day, okay?"

It was always a bit tense with the rest of his family over, but they still made the effort to show up now and then, unlike some people- no, no he wasn't going to think about that, he was just going to enjoy the party they had thrown for him.

Time flew by and Izuku found himself sleeping off a full stomach, curled up in his room. It had been a while since he had eaten anything sugary like that, it was kind of nice now and then. Well, except for the problems it caused his stomach. He slipped out to answer the call of nature, making his way to the bathroom. Tomura was snoring, sprawled on the sofa with the blanket thrown to the floor, but other than that it was pretty quiet. He tended to his business and was making his way back to his room when caught the hushed conversation.

"I told you I didn't, Inko."

"Dad, this is serious!" his mother's voice hissed. "Did you give him one or not? Did he ask you? Did you tell him?"

"I didn't give him one." His grandfather reiterated. "I didn't even speak to him about it, as you asked."

"Then why does he have one now? Did he really just- it's just so unlikely-"

"Inko, dear, even if I did give him one, what would you have me do now? Take it back?"

"I…" she sighed. "No, but I just-"

"I've respected your wishes to minimize my…influence in his life, have I not kept to it? Why would I suddenly go against that without consulting you? I made it very clear long ago that I would be willing to give him one, but you were adamant about keeping me 'secret' as possible."

"It's dangerous, Dad, I know it's what he wants but you know better than I do how dangerous it is to be a hero. What if he- I mean- you won't…will you?"

"We've been over this, if this is what he wants then there is no reason he shouldn't pursue it, just as I pursue what I want, simply because I want it. If you worry about 'conflict' then don't, I have my resources, he'll be kept in the dark about me, just as he has been, just as you wanted."

Izuku frowned, still and silent in the hall, listening to the exchange through his mother's door. What were they talking about? Keeping him in the dark about what? His stomach twisted into a knot, a cold chill running up his spine. He didn't like this, not at all, it was sketchy, it gave him a bad feeling- was this about his grandfather's 'work'? Tomura's 'work'? They never really talked to him about it, in fact, he didn't know much about it at all- that couldn't be good, could it? But-…no, no they were good people, they were his family, he had to be overthinking this.

"Dad…I-"

"You should go to bed, Inko, it's late. I'm rather tired as well, we can discuss this more tomorrow if you wish, when Izuku is at school."

He heard movement and quickly, but quietly, slipped back into his room, closing the door shut with as little noise as possible. What was all that about? Should he ask- no, it didn't sound like they were going to just tell him about anything. He slipped into his bed, staring at the wall. Would All-Might have any advice about this? Maybe he should ask him next time….


	2. Chapter 2

Deku rushed down to the beach, his eyes alight at the sight of his mentor awaiting him.

"All Might!" he blurted.

"What?! All Might?!" came the response from a couple beachgoers.

"Shhh! Kid!" All Might hissed, "Say you made a mistake!"

"Er- My mistake! No All Might!"

Miraculously, the civilians bought that and went back to their stroll. Both All Might and Izuku let out a sigh of relief, then began walking their way down the beach in the opposite direction of the aforementioned onlookers.

"Sorry I haven't been able to get in touch with you," the tall man rubbed the back of his neck. "Things got pretty chaotic with the school year coming up and all."

"Y- Yeah, but you're gonna teach at UA?" the boy grinned. "That's so great! I'll get to see you every day!"

Toshinori chuckled, smiling at the boy.

"Yeah, so we can work together on you mastering one-for-all," he said. "You've used it now, so you have an idea what it feels like, yeah?"

Deku nodded rapidly, then went into a very haphazard explanation of how the quirk felt like an egg in a microwave, despite All Might's observation of how 'boring' that metaphor was. They talked for a few minutes, about how Izuku would eventually be able to control the quirk at whatever percentage he willed. It was important; it was important but Izuku still couldn't fully focus on it. The conversation between his mother and grandfather played on a loop in the back of his mind, as much as he went over it he couldn't figure out what they meant…

"Midoriya? Is everything all right?"

"Huh- oh! S- sorry," Izuku forced a smile. "I um…well…actually, All Might, could I- could I talk to you about something?"

"Well of course Midoriya, what's wrong?" Toshinori frowned, scanning the boy. "You look a little pale."

"I- well, you see, I um, had some family come over last night and-"

"Izuku, who the hell is that?"

Midoriya nearly jumped a foot, flailing about in response to the sound of the rasped voice.

"T- Tomura! What are you doing here?!"

The scrawny man was hunched, hands in his pockets as he strolled up to them, but despite his lax stature his eyes were sharp, focused on the blonde skeleton-man.

"What? You don't want me around anymore? What're you at that age where you're too cool?" Tomura snorted, turning his attention back to All Might. "You messing with Izuku?"

"Tomura, no! This is my coach!" Deku flailed. "He's been helping me with my training to get into UA and stuff, he's gonna be one of my teachers!"

"Er- hello there," All Might smiled, holding out a hand to him in greeting. "Are you a friend of Midoriya's? It's nice to meet you."

Tomura glared at the hand, making no motion to reciprocate.

"Er- Tomura doesn't really shake hands," Deku chuckled nervously. "His quirk is activated by touching people with his fingers so uh-"

"Ah, I see," All Might cleared his throat, pulling his hand back. "Well, still, it's nice to meet you."

"Tomura's my cousin," Izuku explained. "My grandpa took him in a few years back, so he's my family, you see…"

Shigaraki grunted, finally directing his attention to Izuku.

"So this is the guy that's helped you? You really know him?"

"Yes, Tomura," Izuku sighed. "He's a good person, please calm down."

"Whatever," he mumbled, scratching at the top of his neck. "I guess if he's your teacher I'll lay off-…wait, so he's a pro isn't he? If he works at UA?"

Shigaraki's eyes narrowed, his fingernails digging into his skin, drawing just a bit of blood-

"Tomura!" Deku flailed, grabbing the man's wrist. "You're doing it again! Oh my gosh- do you have your bandages with you?"

"Of course I don't, you're the one that always carries bandaids around with you!" Tomura snapped, pulling his hand away from the boy. "I'm not that fragile, Izuku, jeez…and you!"

"Er- yes, young man?" All Might frowned, obviously becoming uncomfortable.

"So are you a pro or what?"

"Oh, no," All Might lied, forcing a small chuckle. "I mean, I don't look like I could do much, right? I am a teacher but um, I became one because I have some friends that work at UA."

Shigaraki responded with a short grunt, shoving his hands back in his pockets. He seemed pensive a moment-

"Izuku! I can bandage my own damn scratches!"

"I'm sorry! Just you weren't- I was worried they'd get infected or something-!"

"Fine, fine! I'll go back and get it patched up, damn," Tomura grumbled, waving Deku away as he turned back the way he had come. "Just don't be back too late, ok? Your mom gets annoying when she's worried."

"Er, yeah, thanks Tomura, I'll be home soon." Deku said, waving after him.

Both All Might and Izuku said nothing, watching until Tomura was completely out of sight. Then the boy's shoulders fell, letting out an audible sigh of relief.

"I'm sorry about him," he looked up at his mentor. "He's…not the best with people, but it's just because he's worried about me, he doesn't mean to be…uhm…like that. He's a good person, really, he just has a hard time with social stuff."

"Ah, well, don't worry about it, young Midoriya," he shrugged. "He's uh, obviously got some issues- no offense meant-"

"N- no, it's okay! I know what you mean," Deku sighed. "…I worry about him, you know? I don't think he has any real friends…"

All Might chuckled, patting the boy's shoulder.

"You're a good kid, Midoriya." He smiled, then looked off at the setting sun. "Though…he's right, you shouldn't be out too much later, you have school in the morning, right? You should get home."

"Oh, um, yeah," Deku frowned.

"Wait, what was it you wanted to tell me, first?" All Might rose a brow. "Sorry, I kinda forgot about it when your cousin showed up all of a sudden."

The boy fidgeted, glancing back the way Tomura had left then back up at All Might's concerned face. Where would he even start? How cold he even start? And besides, after that horrible first impression with Tomura, maybe now wasn't the best time…

"Midoriya?"

"It's nothing, nevermind," he flashed a small smile.

"…You're sure?" the blonde frowned. "You can talk to me if you need to, Midoriya, I'll help however I can."

He was so great, always wanting to help everyone…

"Thanks, but I just- I'm just tired, maybe next time, is that okay?"


	3. Chapter 3

Deku had barely gotten through the door when Tomura confronted him again, his neck bleeding from several scratches on his neck and one pale hand still scratching.

"Dammit, Izuku, you sure took your sweet time," he hissed.

"Tomura!" the boy yelped, reaching into his back immediately for some bandages. "Oh no oh no, what happened?! What's wrong-?!"

"Nothing, I'm just irritated!" he snapped down at him. "It's not like I get to see you very often and you just run off somewhere to see someone I don't even know? Then you take forever to get back!"

Izuku flinched, frowned, and then continued taking out the bandages, attempting to apply them to the man's wounds.

"I'm sorry, Tomura, I didn't mean to hurt your feelings, but I can't be with you all the time…"

"Tch, gimme the damn bandages," he snapped, swiping them from Izuku. "I'll go patch up."

He turned on heel and walked away, leaving the exasperated aspiring hero looking after him. Tomura was so…difficult, sometimes, but…well, it was just how he was. He didn't really think like most people, he saw things differently and he didn't always know how to act about them. It didn't mean it was okay for him to hurt himself or snap at everyone, though, but at least he was working on it; that was what mattered, right? Izuku made his way to his room, mulling over what had happened the last couple days. He had taken a single step through his doorway when his arm was grabbed, startling him.

"Ah-!"

"C'mon, let's play some of your videogames or whatever," Tomura said, strolling into Izuku's room with the boy in tow. "We haven't gotten to do that in a while."

Deku cracked a weak smile, he was still bad at it, but it was his way of trying to make it up to him.

For a while, things actually went rather well; Deku got his mind off things for a bit and played some games with Tomura (and his temper when losing had improved significantly since they first met). After losing about the twentieth round of Deku's favorite racing game, Tomura finally snapped, tossing the controlling onto the bed.

"AGH!" he shouted, beginning to scratch at his neck again. "That damn- stupid- fucking shell always-"

"Tomura-"

"I know!" he snapped, forcing his hands away from his neck. "I know- I know, okay? …Sorry, I just- …grrr."

"We don't have to play anymore, Tomura, I just thought you wanted to," Deku forced a smile, hoping to reassure him.

"I did want to play," he snorted.

There was a moment of silence. Just a moment, long enough to make Izuku uncomfortable, but no longer.

"Izuku, you shouldn't go to UA." The man snapped curtly.

"W- What?" he shook his head, thrown off but the bluntness of this statement. "I- what? Why? Tomura I worked so hard to get in! Why wouldn't I go?!"

"You're only going there because that's where 'All Might' went, right?" he hissed, crossing his arms and slouching in on himself. "You know, you shouldn't idol worship people like that, why don't you ever think for yourself?"

"Tomura, please…calm down." Deku sighed.

Tomura didn't like All Might, in fact, he hated him. Though why, he never had managed to find out. He had asked him, of course, many times, but each time Tomura would refuse to give him any solid answers. From what Izuku could put together, something…bad, had happened, and Tomura was mad that All Might wasn't there to stop it. That's what he managed to deduce based on his reactions, anyway; but whatever had happened, it had to have been pretty terrible for Tomura to end up like…this.

"You know I'm right! Damn it Izuku when the hell are you going to grow up!?"

Deku's eyes narrowed and he got to his feet, fists clenched despite his trembling arms.

"Tomura, I'm sorry but I'm going! Everyone's told me I couldn't go- everyone's told me I couldn't do it! Kacchan was telling me the same thing earlier, he was telling me not to go, and I told him I'm going so I'm telling you that too!" he blurted, much louder and more hostile than he had intended.

"What the hell…? Did you just- you can't talk to me like that- you-" Tomura's eye twitched, bringing his hands up to scratch his neck again. "When did you get the nerve?!"

The boy's throat tightened. Oh no- why had he done that? He knew better than to yell at him like that- Tomura got…bad, when he was mad, but he couldn't just let him walk all over him, right? Isn't that why he had stood up to Kacchan? Isn't that why he had done everything?

"Izuku? Tomura? Is everything all right in here, hm?"

His grandfather had a…talent, for making his presence known before you even saw him. The air just felt pressured, suffocating, yet everything felt like it was being dragged to the man, a focal point of presence.

"Master…"

"Grandpa," Deku swallowed, his throat was dry suddenly. "I- we were just um, talking."

"He mouthed off to me, that's what was going on!" Tomura snapped. "Just because he has a quirk now doesn't make him better than me!"

"When did I say anything like that, Tomura?!" Deku sighed, exasperated. "You're always putting words in my mouth, just because I don't agree with you doesn't mean I think you're bad!"

"All right, enough, enough both of you, let's settle down," the man said, placing a hand on Tomura's shoulder and Deku's head. "Why don't the two of you just give each other some space, we leave tomorrow, let's not leave on bad terms."

Shigaraki grit his teeth, growling under his breath but left the room, sulking in his usual manner.

Izuku Sighed, glancing back at the controller Tomura had tossed down. If he would just talk to him about things, if he understood more, he could help, so why did he make it so difficult? The hand still on his hair ruffled the green locks a bit, regaining his attention.

"Now Izuku, no use in pouting about things," the man tsked lightly. "Tomura will get over it, so should you."

The boy said nothing, his gaze drifting back down to the floor, his brow furrowed in thought.

"Izuku? Is something on your mind, boy?"

He twitched; should he really just come out and ask him? From what he heard from his mother the other night, this was something they were trying to keep from him. Why? What could there be that they would hide from him?

"…Speak up, boy, if you have something to say."

His voice sent shivers up his spine when he talked like that. He had to say something- anything, just to stop him from getting angry. Well, there was something else he had been thinking about.

"You don't want me to go to UA either, huh, Grandpa?" he said quietly. "You don't want me to be a hero. You think I'm…being dumb, don't you?"

"Not at all, it doesn't matter what your goal is, as long as you have the ability to see it through," he replied.

"But you don't like it-"

"Izuku, dear boy, you have to stop caring what other people think." The raspy voice chuckled. "You can't let your ambitions be swayed by a few meager opinions, if you want to make something happen you let no one stop you, especially family, understood?"

"But…But I do care about what you think, what Tomura thinks, shouldn't you care what your family thinks about you?" he glanced up finally, hesitant.

"You can care about us without caring for our opinions," he shrugged. "I can dislike the things you like and still want you to succeed."

The man drew away finally, heading out the door.

"I'll speak with Tomura and we'll have a nice dinner tonight before we leave, hm? Try not to think about it too much."

The door closed with a gentle click.

His grandfather was a confusing person. The things he said could be reassuring while at the same time alarming, he wasn't sure how he did that. On one hand, he understood and appreciated what his grandfather said about not letting anything stop you, on the other, the way he said it…it just made him feel uneasy. 'Especially family', he had said; that made his stomach twist into knots. For all this he still wasn't any closer to knowing what was going on, either. He sighed, finally picking up after Shigaraki's outburst.

Why were things always so difficult with them?


	4. Chapter 4

He wasn't exactly used to Mr. Kurogiri warping out of nowhere, but it wasn't the strangest thing in the world; still, he wasn't really expecting him to just warp into their living room while he was doing homework, not without calling first at least.

"Izuku-"

The boy yelped, jumped about a foot out of his chair and crashed onto the ground.

"Ah-! O- Oh! Mr. Kurogiri! Hi!" he waved from his awkward position on the ground. "Sorry, you startled me."

"Ah," the man said simply. "My apologies."

"No worries," Izuku chuckled, brushing himself off and setting the chair back upright. "I was just doing some studying, what's up?"

"Your grandfather wishes to speak with you, in person."

"Grandpa does?" he frowned. "What's wrong? Did something happen?"

"He did not give me details but he states it is about your quirk."

The boy tensed up, the color bleeding from his face. His quirk? All Might's quirk? Had he found out about it somehow? His arm still ached from the last time he'd utilized that power, against Kacchan in the training exercise. It was healed now, but still sore, he was always sore these days it seemed. Had he heard about him breaking his bones? Had he somehow- no, no calm down, he told himself.

"Oh," he forced, trying to seem only slightly curious. "Okay, um, is he coming over? I should clean up a bit before that then, mom will be upset if he comes over and the apartment is a mess."

"That won't be necessary, Izuku, your grandfather wants you to meet with him elsewhere. I advise you dress formally when I come to take you to him tonight."

"Huh? Where does he…formal? I don't-"

"He wishes to spend time with you at a restaurant he favors, it is formal attire. I'll be back to get you in an hour."

Izuku tried to ask more details, but the man was already gone, warped away into the void. What was all that about? He hadn't even really invited him so much as commanded him, but there was no way he was going to turn down his grandfather. He barely got to see him a lot as it was, and in this case, if it was about his quirk…he really didn't have a choice.

* * *

Izuku tugged at his collar, fiddling with the tie. He had managed to somewhat comb down his wild mess of hair, but it was far from what anyone would consider to be 'neat'. The suit was getting a little small on him, since he had bulked up during training, but it was still presentable. He could never get the darn tie right, though.

However, there were more pressing things on his mind. The place Kurogiri had taken him was…fancy, to say the least. It was dimly lit, with red satin and velvets adoring the tables and walls; the clientele looked just as posh, donning suits, gowns and finery, he felt completely and utterly out of place. A few of the guests eyed him a moment, scrutinizing his frizzy hair, but seemed to look away the second he took notice of them.

"Your grandfather is this way, in a private room," Kurogiri explained calmly, leading him to a side-corridor.

"A private-? Wow, um, Mr. Kurogiri are you sure it's okay for me to be here? I mean- well I don't think I really fit and um, this place looks expensive."

"Your grandfather is a regular here, you could say; he's going to treat you."

A regular? To a place like this? The entire atmosphere made him feel nervous and inadequate, that and the way people looked at them. Not just the other patrons trying to avoid looking at him, but the servers and staff seemed…tense. Like they were afraid of something-

"Here we are, I would say to behave yourself but you always tend to do so."

Even the door looked fancy, was that real gold? Geez, was he even allowed in a place like this? How was Grandpa a regular here, how could he even afford it?

Izuku went to open the door but a waiter zipped over from seemingly nowhere, opening for him.

"Oh- um, I could've gotten that, really," he mumbled, embarrassed. "Thank you though."

The man said nothing but nodded, smiling. That smile didn't seem natural though. Something was wrong with this whole place- where did Mister Kurogiri go? He had vanished, he hadn't even said goodbye…

"Izuku, my boy, come in and sit with me."

There was a single table with very comfortable chairs about it, one right beside his grandfather which had been pulled out for him.

Despite the wires and tubes, his life-support gear, he still somehow looked like he belonged in such a place. He was dressed up in one of his suits, like usual, but in this environment it made him seem even more…in control. That was the best way he could think to describe it, his grandfather just always seemed to be in control, completely sure of himself, and made everyone else believe it.

"Izuku? Are you just going to stand in the doorway?"

"Er-! Sorry, no! Um- thank you!" he bowed politely, then hurried to the designated seat. "I just was kind of, um, surprised, are you sure you want to talk here, Grandpa? I mean-"

"Calm yourself, it's my treat, don't fret about a thing," the man chuckled, ruffling the green hair. "I have everything handled. Not another word, I insist."

"…Thank you," he said quietly.

He couldn't say much more, he couldn't bring himself to, the way he had said that, 'I insist', it just felt so final, like there was no point in fighting.

"Now don't look so somber, dear boy," he handed him a menu. "It's not as if you are in trouble or anything, I just wanted to speak with you and I figured I'd treat you while I was at it. After all, we had that lovely little party for you but I, personally, didn't do anything to celebrate your achievements."

"Grandpa, you don't have to-" he began, panicked.

"Nonsense, I do not get to see you as often as I would like, and I have a feeling you're only going to get busier now that you're a hero in training. Allow me to dote on my grandchild now and then, it's one of the few joys this old man gets."

Izuku conceded, unsure what else he could even do at this point. So he politely ordered from the menu and sat quietly when the waiter left them in the room with a soft click of the door.

"Ah, Izuku, your tie is a mess," the man tsked, "Another thing I've neglected to teach you, it seems…here, let me show you."

Izuku sat stiffly as his grandfather undid his tie, then went through the motions of showing him how to do it properly. It was…kind of nice, really, to have him just teach him something little like that. If he could've fully relaxed, he probably would've been happy about it.

"What is it?"

"…Mr. Kurogiri said you wanted to talk about my quirk-" he blurted.

"Ah, yes, that. I heard about you breaking your arm the other day at school, so I thought a little chat was in order. We can't have you going around shattering your bones all the time, now can we?"

He sat back comfortably in his chair, lacing his fingers together on the table.

"The thing is, Izuku, I have a bit of…experience, learning to use quirks later in life. So, I thought perhaps I might be able to assist you with this."

"You do?" he stared. "Wait, were you…a late bloomer, too?"

"Hm, something like that, the point is I might be able to give you some advice. It doesn't do my heart good to hear you keep injuring yourself all the time, you know." He leaned forward on his elbows, eying his grandson. "It doesn't take a genius to know that your issue is control, it can be a bit daunting, having an ability you don't know how to use."

"Well…yeah," he shuffled in his seat, frowning. "It kinda is."

"My advice is relatively simple, Izuku," he said. "It's easier said than done, of course, but it boils down to this: want it."

Izuku blinked once, staring at his grandfather. Was…was that it? He had expected…more.

"Want it?" he repeated, confused.

"Yes, want it. That's the key to using and mastering anything, you want to do it." He said. "Not just want to use it, but want to control it. You've been using your quirk, yes, but you're basically lighting a fuse to a firework, you can set it off but you have no idea where it will go, with what force, or how fast."

He leaned back on his chair again, arms folded in front of him.

"Your intention is simply to 'use' it, then you let it do what it will. If you want to control this new power you have to plan out what you want to do from start to finish, think of it as…imagining controlling the firework, wanting it to move a certain way then it does so. You can't just activate it and rely on it to do what you want, you have to tell it what to do. Do you understand?"

Izuku was quiet all but a split-second before he erupted into a stream of mutters, tapping his fingers against the table. All For One laughed, settling more comfortably into his seat.

"Well, even if you don't fully grasp the concept, now that the idea's in your head you'll eventually figure out what works for you. Now, why don't we enjoy our meal and relax for a while?"

Izuku continued to mutter.

"…Izuku."

No response.

All For One sighed, shaking his head. His grandchild was intelligent, but he couldn't help but still think of him as a bit of a nerd. Oh well, perhaps this would help him out with mastering the quirk. It gave him more than a little bit of satisfaction, knowing his grandson was draining All Might's power.


	5. Chapter 5

It was three in the morning, so why on Earth was his phone going off again and again? Was it an emergency? Izuku grabbed the phone, squinting in the dark to see who was trying to get a hold of him. About a dozen texts from Tomura, of all people, at this hour? He sat up, rubbing his eyes and quickly texted a response, asking if everything was all right. A minute passed, then….

 _"Don't go to school tomorrow."_

That was it, simple, direct. What? Why was he…? Izuku shook his head, then texted back, biting his lip.

 _"Tomura? Why? What's wrong?"_

The following minute seemed to go by much slower than the one before, for a moment Izuku wondered if it had even sent.

 _"I'm worried."_

Worried? Tomura, worried? About him? Normally he would probably tear up if he heard that from his aloof cousin, but in this scenario it just made him even more anxious. While he tried to sort out how to react to this, Tomura sent another message.

"Your school got broken into the other day, right? The media got in and everything, but someone still broke in, right? What if they're still there? It might be dangerous."

Izuku sighed, a faint smile on his face. Tomura actually had to be worried, to text him like this in the middle of the night and admit he was concerned…he knew it was probably bad, but it made him happy to know he cared.

 _"Everything's okay, Tomura, I'll be fine."_

 _"Don't go. I'm serious, don't."_

Izuku attempted to reassure him but received no further messages from the man the entire night.

* * *

"Midoriya? Are you all right? Should we take you to recovery girl?"

"I'm fine-"

He continued to vomit into the trash can, gagging as Uraraka held his hair free of his face.

"We'll take you to recovery girl, you shouldn't be going to class in this state," Iida confirmed.

It was probably just something he had eaten, he had been fine this morning during classes! Then they had barely gotten back to class after lunch and he just couldn't hold anything down.

"All right class- Midoriya? What's wrong with him?"

Mr. Aizawa's voice, he couldn't see him from this angle but it wasn't like he could mistake the voice.

"Mr. Aizawa, sir! Midoriya is ill, he might have a case of food poisoning, we were just going to escort him to Recovery Girl."

"Hm, well that's unfortunate…all right, take him to the infirmary then report back. We have to catch the bus to the USJ for rescue training by two."

Izuku tensed up, his eyes widening. Oh, right! Rescue training, that was today! It wasn't that he had forgotten about it, how could he? It was probably one of the things he was most excited for, but in the state he was in, it had completely slipped his mind.

"N- No, I'm fine! I can go, I don't want to miss the exercise-"

His body betrayed him and he lurched again, the sickening splattering sound heard throughout the entire classroom.

"Iida, escort Midoriya," Aizawa sighed. "And it's not like this is the only rescue training, you'll just have to make it up on the next one."

Izuku was devastated but didn't protest, that didn't stop him from sulking the entire time Recovery Girl looked him over, though.

"Well the good news is you're not contagious, and it seems to be all out of your system-"

"Then can I go to class?" he blurted, unable to contain his excitement.

"The bus already left, Midoriya," the woman tsked, "And even if you're feeling better you shouldn't be pushing it. Besides, you'd have to walk all the way there and I don't want you walking off alone, just in case."

He frowned but said nothing, going over his options. Of all days to get an upset stomach, this was terrible…

"What should I do? Go home?" he sighed.

"Hm, well, I think you'll be fine as long as you don't exert yourself, so for now you can take a study break until the rest of your class gets back, all right?"

It was better than missing the entire rest of the day, wasn't it? He suppressed a sigh and thanked the woman, then gathered his things and headed back for the classroom. Maybe it would be better if he went to the library instead? It would be less lonely than studying in an empty classroom-

"Young Midoriya? Why aren't you at the exercise?"

In his usual fashion, he jumped about a foot when shook from his thought process.

"A- All M-!"

"Shh," Toshinori put a finger to his lips, glancing around nervously.

"Oh- er, Mr. Yagi, sir," he stammered, sheepish. "I thought you were going to be at the lesson?"

"I'm heading there now, why aren't you already there? Did something happen?" the blond frowned.

"I got sick from something I ate at lunch," he sighed, his shoulders slumping. "Mr. Aizawa told me to go to the infirmary; Recovery Girl says I should be okay but she doesn't want me 'exerting' myself so she doesn't want me to go…"

"Hm," Toshinori frowned. "Well I'm sorry to hear that-"

"Oh! But- she didn't want me walking alone, but if I go with you it should be okay, right?" he beamed up at him. "Since I won't be walking alone she won't have to worry about it!"

"Midoriya-"

"And I might not be able to participate but I could still watch and take notes, especially since you'll be there to show-"

"Midoriya!" the man snapped, a bit of blood coming from his mouth. "Geez, kid, look…I'm not going to be able to do too much anyway, I was just going to show up at the end real quick. I kinda…pushed it a bit too much today."

"Oh…" Izuku bit his lip. "Yeah I saw some stuff earlier about the things you did this morning…"

The disappointment was palpable, and Toshinori knew how much rescue-work meant to his young successor…

He sighed.

"All right, all right, you can come with me but you're just going to watch, okay?"

The sound the boy made was somewhere between a squeal and a gasp. A teenage boy had no right being so adorable, but there he was.

"Come on, it's a bit of a walk but I think I can get us both there in a decent time." He grinned, giving him a thumbs up. "I got enough juice left to buff up and carry you there."

"Okay-! Wait, carry?"

It wasn't like he hadn't already clung on to All Might when the man was soaring hundreds of feet above the city, but being carried princess style while the Top Hero ran toward the USJ was….embarrassing, for one. He was so fast, though, it should be over soon, and he'd put him down before they went in so no one would see this at least, right? That is, that was what he thought right before Iida came into view, sprinting down the path toward them.

All Might came to an abrupt halt, Izuku nearly flying out of his arms but was instead set down gently on his feet.

"All Might! Midoriya!" Iida blurted.

He screeched to a halt, smoke fuming from the engines on his legs. Immediately both mentor and student knew something was wrong; Iida was disheveled, out of breath, his glasses askew and face red from exertion.

"Young Iida? What is it, what's wrong?" All Might asked immediately.

"The USJ- Villains, villains attacked! The class- I went to get help-" he panted between raspy breathes.

Villains? Deku's eyes widened. At the USJ? On UA grounds? How? How did they-? His heart sunk in his chest, thinking of the texts that morning from his cousin. He had been right, and All Might was already basically out of time-

"Young Iida, Young Midoriya, head back to camps and get the teachers," All Might stated, "I'll go to the USJ and help everyone, you two get backup and stay safe."

"W-?! All Might! You can't- you're almost out of ti-" he blurted without thinking.

"Young Midoriya," he grinned at him. "I got this. Go with young Iida, do as your teacher says."

Before Izuku could protest again the man sprinted off at such a speed neither boy could see him move. The color had left Izuku's face, processing what was happening. Villains at the USJ, All Might almost out of power…no, no no no, he was going to get killed!

"Midoriya, we don't have time," Iida said, grabbing his shoulder. "We need to go."

"I- you go ahead, you'll be faster without me, I'll just slow you down. I'll catch up." He said in response.

"Leave you-? I can't possibly do that, what if there are others around?"

"More people will be in danger if you get slowed down, even a little! I'll be fine, I'll meet you there, okay? Just go get help!"

Iida hesitated but gave a curt nod, preparing to dash off again.

"Be safe! Hurry!"

Then like a shot the class rep was out of view; he was barely out of sight when Deku turned on heel and ran like hell the opposite direction, toward the USJ.

Adrenaline was a very strange thing, he had never really experienced it until he had run in to the sludge monster. Oh, well, no he had experienced it, everyone had; fear, panic, anger, the rush of sudden movement or exertion, all of those things were completely normal, but they had been nothing compared to that feeling. That feeling of your body moving on its own, the numbing feeling in your brain, as if everything had become a haze, slowed, like a dream: not real at all and yet as sharp and clear as a needle in the neck. It was like the rush of adrenaline from all those 'normal' things to such an intensity that it was a bizarre superposition of pure panic and complete control. Whatever it was, it didn't really matter.

There was no way even like this he as going to get there in time, it was still so far off and All Might was so much faster than him. There was no way he was going to get there in time to do anything, he had to go faster, he had to go faster! It was all he could think about playing on a loop in his head, then amidst the mantra the bubble of his grandfather's words…

"That's the key, you have to want it."

He didn't want anything else right then, all he wanted was to be as fast as he possibly could, to get there and be able to help, not be a little broken pile of bones-

"Woah-!?"

Suddenly the world was zooming past him, the road a blur under his feet. It wasn't really as fast as it seemed to him, it wasn't nearly as fast as All Might, or even Iida, but it was something, and he was going to take all he could get. He would question how he managed it later, right now it wasn't important.

All that mattered was getting there and saving All Might.


	6. Chapter 6

He blew past the cracked open doors of the facility, spotting 13 and some of his classmates. Izuku had tried to stop to speak with them, but apparently simply stopping on a dime at the speed he was going wasn't exactly something he could do easily. Instead he overshot them and quite suddenly his feet weren't touching the ground at all. The boy yelped as he flew through the air over the stairs, barely hit the ground on his feet and then slammed against the floor, rolling roughly across the tile before he slammed into what felt like a brick wall.

It wasn't a brick wall.

Dazed, he craned his neck up, his vision still swimming. It was something big and purple- or someone? Wait, was it a person? It craned its neck down and Izuku tensed up when he met its eyes. Something was wrong with this guy, the appearance was weird enough, but it was the eyes that scared him, it was like nobody was looking out from them-

"What the hell is he doing here?!"

Kacchan? He turned toward the voice; Todoroki, and Kirishima too and- All Might! He was- not all right, he was bleeding from his injury, and-!

"Young Midoriya-!"

The purple man he had slammed into had curled his massive fingers around the boy's torso, pinning his arms to his side and lifting him up off the ground.

"Don't hurt him!" he heard a voice snap. "Get him out of here!"

"UNHAND HIM!"

There was a blur and suddenly he was back on the ground, by Kacchan and the others. All Might was between them and the villains-

His heart sunk in his chest.

There was no mistaking that mass of purple shadows, the glowing yellow eyes. Mr. Kurogiri?! What was he doing here?! Why- was he with the villain!? Then the man by him- no, no no no no no no. That build, the hair, the posture, and that voice from earlier…

"Tomura!?" he yelped, horrified.

The man hissed, beginning to claw at his neck; as if Izuku needed any other proof.

"Kurogiri, get him out of here!" he snapped, flailing his hand in the boy's direction.

"You won't lay a finger on him!"

All Might charged them and was intercepted by the purple brain-villain. That didn't stop the top hero from preventing Kurogiri's advance, however. A flurry of powerful punches were being fired off by All Might at such an intensity everyone around them was being blown away. Izuku and his classmates scrambled for their balance, staring in awe at the scene before them.

"Weren't you listening?! One of his quirks is shock-absorption!" Tomura yelled.

"So what about it?! It's not nullification, that means there's a limit, right?!"

Izuku's mind was complete chaos, too many things were going on at once. Tomura and Mr. Kurogiri were being blown away, All Might was fighting a behemoth that was standing his ground against his powers, his classmates were dumbstruck. Tomura and Mr. Kurogiri were here, they were on that villain's side- they were ordering that villain, they were in charge of it- in charge of all the villains. His family were villains. What else could it mean? His family was fighting All Might, All Might was- wow…

Despite the situation, he couldn't help staring in awe at his mentor. All those punches, all that power- targeted punches even, calculated! All this while he was suffering from his reopened wound, protecting them, and with no time.

It was over in less than seconds, the purple-brain guy flying through the ceiling, the entire facility shaking. All Might stood his ground again, facing the two vil-

Oh. Right.

"This is over, surrender now!" All Might bellowed.

"He cheated….he cheated he cheated he cheated-!"

"Tomura! What are you doing?!"

"Young Midoriya-!"

Izuku ran out in front of All Might.

"Tomura, what- what's going on?!" he blurted, tears pricking his eyes. "Mr. Kurogiri- why- I knew you didn't like heroes but- but this!? I don't understand!"

"Damn it- I told you to stay home, Izuku! But no! You had to be a stubborn little brat just like the rest of them!" he stomped his foot, clawing at his neck.

"You know these bastards, Deku!?" he heard Bakugo shout.

"Shigaraki, we need to go. Now." Kurogiri leaned over to Tomura. "The pros will be here any moment-"

A shot rang out and Tomura fell onto the ground, one knee shot out from under him.

"Tomura!"

Izuku tried to run forward, a giant hand wrapping around his arm.

"Young Midoriya, stop!"

In the time it took to step forward, several more shots rang out, plastering his cousin to the ground. Kurogiri swept over him and a moment later they had both disappeared. The pros had finally arrived, the villains were captured, All Might was alive, everyone was safe…he should have been happy, then, so was it selfish of him to feel as if the whole world had ended?

* * *

They had confiscated his belongings and they hadn't let him speak to anyone, not his mom, not All Might, no one. Instead he sat alone in the room, locked in, staring blankly at the table top. Once the police had arrived on campus, they had taken him into custody. The detective said he was a friend of All Might's, that he would do his best to get to the bottom of things, but none of that had really helped him. He knew why they had to do this, they had to see if he knew anything about the attack, about Tomura. What about his mom? Had they taken her too? Was she locked up somewhere? And Grandpa-….did he know about this? Izuku's fists clenched on his lap, his shoulders shaking. His vision swam with tears, he hadn't stopped crying since the USJ, everything was just too much-

"Midoriya Izuku?"

He hadn't noticed the detective come in, the same man that had taken him from the USJ.

"I'm Detective Tsukauchi, remember?" he said, taking the seat across from him. "Midoriya, I understand this is hard for you, but I need you to cooperate with me. I need you to tell me as much as you can, as accurately as you can, do you understand?"

All he could manage was a weak nod.

"All right," the man sighed. "After going through your phone and other belongings we have no evidence to suggest you were aware of this attack, furthermore, from what I understand you were ill after lunch, am I correct?"

He nodded numbly.

"It's to our understanding you were poisoned," he said, frowning. "Given all the evidence, plus your testimony earlier, it looks like you were unaware of this plan and Shigaraki was attempting to keep you from becoming involved. Other testimonies from your classmates and All Might back this, given what the villains said."

"Poison…Tomura poisoned me?" Izuku whispered, trembling.

"That seems to be the case, it's probably because he was reluctant to do any serious damage that it wore off as quickly as it did." Tsukauchi nodded. "In any case, I'm telling you this to let you know you aren't in any trouble, as long as you cooperate."

"Okay," he muttered quietly.

What else could he say?

They asked him all sorts of thing, about Tomura, Mr. Kurogiri, what he knew about what they did, where they lived, their quirks, their interests, friends, anything and everything related to them. He was asked about his mother, his father, and his grandfather, everyone in his life almost. The only one that seemed to draw any interest was his grandfather; but when they pursued that he didn't have much he could tell them.

"Midoriya, if there's anything else about him you can tell us at all-…"

Izuku hadn't realized how hard he was crying until the detective silenced; he was hiccupping, snot dripping from his nose, he must have looked like a complete wreck.

"I'm sorry, Midoriya, I know this is hard but time isn't something we-"

"I'm so stupid," he choked, rubbing his eyes. "I'm so stupid! I- I knew they hated heroes, I did, but I didn't think- I never thought- I'm such an idiot!"

The detective went silent, then slowly stood up, pushing the chair back against the floor with a scraping sound.

"We can take a break here, Midoriya," he said. "All Might has been wanting to see you, is that all right? Would that help?"

The boy managed only a small nod, attempting to stifle his sobs.

He left, though Deku only knew that because he heard the door click behind him. What was going to happen now? What was going to happen to his mom? Would they lock her up? She had to have known about this- maybe not this specifically, but about Tomura and Kurogiri. Would she go to jail? Would he be expelled? There were too many things racing through his head, he didn't-

"Young Midoriya?"

He hadn't noticed the skeletal giant enter, and only then became aware of the comforting hand on his shoulder. Through his tear-blurred vision he looked up at the concerned face of his mentor. He was bandaged up, but walking around, it didn't mean he wasn't in pain though. Was that his fault? If he had just realized earlier…

"I'm sorry, All Might!" he blurted, throwing his arms around the man in a hug. "I didn't- I should've- I was so stupid- I- I should've put it together, I-!"

"Shhh…calm down, Young Midoriya, this isn't your fault…" the man whispered, rubbing his back.

"I should've realized! I- I knew they were- but I didn't- I didn't-…"

He choked off into sobs, clinging to his teacher. The man said nothing, comforting him in silence until the boy finally calmed. How long had it been? He wasn't sure, not really. It felt like time had stopped dead; at least until the boy spoke.

"Am I bad?" he whispered, his voice muffled by All Might's shirt.

"What?" All Might frowned. "Of course not-"

"My family is full of villains!" he blurted, looking up at him. "And I didn't do anything! I didn't-I didn't want to do anything! They're my family, All Might, I care about them, I STILL care about them, even after everything they did! How does that not make me bad?! How does that not make me selfish and-"

"Listen to me, Young Midoriya," All Might frowned, gently ruffling his hair. "You are not responsible for what anyone else does, and caring about someone despite their actions in no way makes you 'bad'."

"But I-"

"Even if you care about them, you would never do something like they did-"

"I wanted to."

It went dead silent. All Might looked down at his student, confused and concerned; Izuku wouldn't look at him.

"What do you mean?" he asked softly.

"I…" Izuku swallowed, trembling. "I've wanted to, sometimes, before I met you- maybe a little bit after, even."

All Might said nothing, the silence prompted the boy to continue.

"I hated everyone, All Might," he whispered. "Everyone was always- everyone was always so mean to me. Everyone laughed at me, everyone was- all my life, you know? Kacchan was the worst but everyone, really, they'd…they'd do all kinds of things to me."

It wasn't the first time Kacchan had told him to kill himself, that day, and it wasn't like he was the only one. All his life he had been 'useless', worthless, nothing; all his life everyone around him had gone out of their way to make him feel that was true.

"So I hated them," he whispered. "I did, All Might, I really did...all they did was hurt me, I- I wanted to hurt them back, I wanted them to pay for what they did to me, you know? I wanted to hurt them and go 'that's how it feels'."

"…It's normal for someone going through that to feel that way sometimes, Izuku," All Might said softly. "Feeling that way doesn't make you 'bad', it's how you act on feelings that makes you bad or good or-"

"I almost acted on it," he cut him off, his face still buried in his chest. "Once, after Kacchan beat me up, I…I was going to get a gun. I- I knew Tomura could get me one, if I asked, and I knew he would- he would help me, even if it was something like that. I wanted to take it to school and-…"

All Might said nothing, frowning.

"So how does that not make me bad?" he sobbed. "Even if I didn't do it- even then, I knew, deep down, I knew Tomura would do something like that, but I pretended like it wasn't true. I told myself he wouldn't do that, that I was just imagining things but- but I knew, didn't I? And I didn't do anything, I didn't say anything, and now you're hurt and everyone else was in danger and- and-!"

"I told you, Izuku, it's your actions that matter. You didn't do that, you didn't even ask him, right? Even now, how upset you are about your classmates, you obviously care about them, you don't want them to get hurt, and you care about your family too, even though they're the ones that hurt them. Caring about other people that deeply? No one I've ever encountered that could be considered 'bad' in the least would EVER care like that."

The boy went quite just a moment aside from his sniffling.

"But I didn't say anything about Tomura, and now you're hurt."

"As smart as you are, you are still just a child," the man frowned. "It wouldn't be right for anyone to blame you for wanting to believe in your family, or being afraid to look into something that serious."

He hugged the boy closer.

"I'm so sorry, my boy…you shouldn't have to go through this."

Izuku just sobbed.


	7. Chapter 7

**Hey everyone, sorry this is short but I wanted to post something to let you all know I'm not dead and still planning on continuing this. Been very busy with moving and my new job, hopefully I'll write more soon. Enjoy.**

"I'm sorry Midoriya, but your mother is in police custody."

Izuku stared, his face pale, expression blank. The officer frowned.

"You mean she's in jail." The boy said.

"…Nothing quite as extreme as that," Tsukauchi sighed. "I can't go into detail too much, Midoriya, but while it's true she's in our custody she has cooperated. She'll be treated well, and you will get to see her-"

"Am I going to jail? What about my grandfather? Is he-?"

"I can't go into detail, Midoriya, I'm sorry." He frowned. "And no, you're not going into custody. Normally you would go with a relative or into foster care; given your known family members are all suspect in this case, I'm afraid that's not possible."

"Foster care?" he whispered. "Wait- you mean I'm not doing that either? Then…what's going to happen to me?"

"Let me reiterate that you will be allowed to see your mother, but supervised." The man said. "From our understanding your mother was aware of your family's identities."

"She knew?" he choked, his eyes watering.

Of course she knew, it made sense, how she would act, how she talked to his grandfather-…his grandfather, did he know or was it worse? Tomura was supposed to be his apprentice, and that conversation he had had with his mother- of course. Of course he was in on it too. That must've been what he meant by his 'influence' being minimized…

"Grandpa- my grandfather, he's…is he a villain too?"

Tsukauchi's frown deepened.

"We have reason to believe that, yes." He explained. "Your mother told us what she could about him."

"Why didn't she say something? Why-…"

Izuku tensed, digging his fingers into the fabric of his pants.

"…Maybe we should take a break-"

"No. No tell me, please, I need to know."

He didn't look up from his hands, but he could still feel the pity from the man's gaze.

"To put it bluntly, she was afraid of your grandfather. From what she told us she did everything she could so that you would live as normal a life as possible, but had reason to believe if she spoke out either of you could have been harmed."

That's what he had been afraid of. So it was his fault? That she had kept quiet, she had done it for him? Would his grandfather really hurt her? Hurt him? He didn't know anymore.

"…As for what's going to happen to you, Midoriya, frankly we don't want you far from an officer but after talking with your teachers we've come to a compromise."

* * *

"Is that everything you need?"

The boy nodded, shouldering his duffel bag. The small apartment was still swarmed with cops, but he had been escorted in to grab any personal important belongings. They had been inspected to be sure they were nothing of importance to the case, but from the sounds of it his entire room had already been searched. Normally he'd be embarrassed, if it weren't for the situation. It was so odd how despite the large volume of people in the apartment, it felt…empty. Without his mother, without their day to day, simple routine. He wiped his eyes, thanked the officer and made his way outside.

The cop car was already running, the passenger door opened and awaiting him, along with the towering skeleton-man. All Might forced a little smile, patting Izuku on the head when he arrived.

"Are you ready, young Midoriya?" he asked gently. "We can stay longer if you need-"

"No." he blurted, his head down. "I just want to go."

"…Of course," he nodded. "Is there anywhere you want to go first?"

"No."

"All right," he sighed.

Both of them climbed into the back of the vehicle, the officer nodding to All Might before driving off. All Might frowned, his eyes locked on the back of his successor's head. The boy was quiet, looking out the window as his home neighborhood fell behind them. It was surreal, young Midoriya was seated beside him on the way to move into his own home, but he was dead quiet. Hell, before this the boy probably would've nerded out so hard just to see the home of his mentor and idol. Yet there he was, quiet as the grave.

"Do you want something specific for dinner?" he asked, trying to fill the silence. "I could order something if you'd like."

The boy responded with the slightest shrug and nothing else.

All Might fidgeted, unsure what to say. There were few times in his life when he genuinely felt in over his head, this was one of them. Being a teacher was out of his comfort zone enough as it was, but now? A legal guardian, a foster parent, a _parent,_ for a boy going through all these issues, a few of which he had pushed onto him himself. Mastering one-for-all and enrolling in UA was a difficult task in itself, but with all of this on top of it? How the hell was he going to do this?

Izuku stayed silent the entire ride, even when they had arrived the most he had spoken was to quickly ask where to put his things. All Might had of course prepared a room or him, he had several guest rooms- more than he needed, by far, but he did get visitors now and then…

Still, his student said nothing else, slipping away into the room with his things. Not knowing what else he could do, All Might began preparing their dinner, wishing he knew what young Midoriya's favorite food even was. Why hadn't he asked that before? Well, even if he knew, nothing he would make could compare to his mother's, would it? He sighed, busying himself in the kitchen best he could.

Eventually with the meal prepared, he found himself hesitating outside the closed door, gently tapping his huge hand against it.

"Young Midoriya?"

There was no answer.

"Young Midoriya," he said again. "Dinner is ready, are you hungry?"

His question was once again met with silence; All Might frowned, beginning to grow concerned and considering forcing the door open when Izuku opened it himself.

"Thank you," he said softly, his eyes still downcast. "It smells good."

All Might wasn't inclined to believe the monotone statement as sincere, but there were far more important problems right now.

What was he supposed to say, though? How was he supposed to help? In all his time as a hero, he had never been at a complete loss of what to even say, not like this. The boy ate, thankfully, but in silence; there was nothing but the sounds of utensils clanking quietly against the dishes-

"Oh for the love of-! Kid, please! Just say something!"

Smooth, All Might, smooth.

"W-?" Izuku flinched, looking up at him. "I- I'm sorry- I didn't- I-"

"No no, I'm sorry young Midoriya," he sighed, slumping back into his chair and rubbing his face. "I'm not handling this very well, I shouldn't- I should be more supportive. I'm sorry."

"N- No! You're-…I just-" he sighed, hanging his head. "I…thank you, All Might, really. Thank you so much, for- for everything you've done, and now- now you're even doing all this for me, even after Tomura- after my cousin did this to everyone. I don't- I don't deserve-"

"Hush." All Might cut him off, frowning. "I've never met anyone that deserved things more, young man."

Izuku stared down at his food; All Might fidgeted in silence.

"All Might?"

"Yes, young Midoriya?"

"Can we get ice cream?"

All Might stared a moment, then chuckled softly and reached over to ruffle the boy's hair.

"Sure kid, whatever you want."


End file.
